Jamshedpur’s Ankita Bhakat strikes gold in first Khelo India Women National Ranking Archery tourney

Muskan Kirara wins gold in Compound event

Jamshedpur, April 13: First Khelo India National Ranking Archery Tournament under the aegis of Archery Association of India (AAI) and Jharkhand Archery Association (JAA) concluded today at the JRD Tata Sports Complex.

The two-day event witnessed the participation of 287 women archers from 20 states and units who competed across three categories. The highest prize money of Rs. 5 lakhs was awarded to the winner of the Senior Recurve category, Ankita Bhakat of the Tata Archery Academy.

During the closing ceremony, Vijaya Narayan Rao Jadhav, Deputy Commissioner, East Singhbhum graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. She commended the Khelo India initiative while also praising the diversity of archers in the tournament. She took keen interest in the archers’ backgrounds while awarding the medals. She also appreciated Tata Steel and Tata Archery Academy for their contribution to the tournament.

The winners across the three categories were felicitated during the prize distribution ceremony by the Chief Guest, Vijaya Jadhav, Sandeep Kumar Meena, Sub Divisional Officer, Dhalbhum, Farzan Heerjee, Chief Protocol & Sports, Tata Steel, Mukul Vinayak Choudhari, Chief Sports Excellence Centres, Tata Steel, and Purnima Mahato, Secretary, Jharkhand Archery Association and Coach Tata Archery Academy.

The winners of the Senior Recurve category were Ankita Bhakat (Gold), Dipti Kumari (Silver), and Preeti (Bronze). The winners of the Senior Compound category were Muskan Kirara (Gold), Rekha Landkar (Silver), and Priya Salve (Bronze). The winners of the Junior Recurve category were Amey Rai (Gold), Tisha Punia (Silver), and Aditi Jaiswal (Bronze). The winners of the Junior Compound category were Priya Gurjar (Gold), Chumki Mandal (Silver), and Pragati (Bronze). The winners of the Sub Junior Recurve category were Bhajan Kaur (Gold), Majiri Alona (Silver), and Vansi Kadvani (Bronze). The winners of the Sub Junior Compound category were Parneet Kaur (Gold), Aishwarya Sharma (Silver), and Arya Atul Prasad (Bronze).